Image-based rendering generates a resultant image from a random viewpoint based on three-dimensional space data of an original certain standard viewpoint (or camera). In such image-based rendering, since a real image can be input, a derivable resultant image may be generated that looks like the same real image but from a different viewpoint. One type of image rendering is a three-dimensional depth image-based rendering method, where a resultant image is rendered by using original image information and spatial depth values measured from a depth map for points and/or pixels within the original image.
Such image-based rendering technique relies on one-to-one match between pixels within the original image and the depth map. In reality, points at edges of objects map to the same pixel. Despite techniques to refine the depth map, in which edges of objects in the depth map follow edges of the objects in the original image very closely, the problem of many-to-one mapping is not solved. For example, the three-dimensional image rendering technique fails to preserve soft edges of the objects in rendered 3D views, thereby introducing artifacts such as a ‘halo’ effect at one or more edges of the objects or jagged edges. Also, the current depth image based rendering techniques use image matting for computing transparency value for pixels at edges associated with each of the objects and hence requiring higher computation time.